1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to waistband adjustment devices and, more particularly, to a unitary waistband tightening device having two parallel vertical legs adjoined at top ends to a top portion having a crank arm and is slidably received on the waistband of a garment and rotated thereon to reduce the circumference of the waistband and tighten it around the waist of the wearer and thereafter the crank arm is received on the waistband to prevent unwinding of the waistband.
2. Background Art
Garments, such as trousers and skirts, have a waistband that encircles the waist of the wearer. If the waistband is inelastic, typically, a belt is used to tighten the waistband around the wearer's waist, or in the case of trousers, suspenders may be fastened to the front and back of the waistband and worn over the wearer's shoulders to hold the trousers up and maintain the waistband at the waistline. A belt must be laced through belt loops and placed under tension around the waist, and can induce perspiration in warm weather. Suspenders must be clipped or otherwise fastened to the front and back of the waistband, placed over the shoulders, and adjusted in length to maintain the waistband at the wearer's waistline. Thus, both belts and suspenders are uncomfortable and cumbersome.
There are several patents directed toward various types of waistband adjustment devices adapted to take up the slack of the waistband and eliminate the necessity of using a belt or suspenders.
Fly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,229,003, discloses a garment strap adjuster comprising a relatively long and substantially flat member, having a transverse slot intermediate its ends, substantially rectangular eyes in the flat portions of the member intermediate the slot and the opposite ends of the member, and other slots, one connecting each of the eyes with the corresponding end of the member. The outer ends of the other slots flare outwardly, the outer edges of the eyes are offset at the opposite sides of the slots at the ends of the member.
Ginnel, U.S. Pat. No. 2,267,235, discloses a garment support in the form of a strap member or abbreviated or elastic belt adapted to be arranged at the inner side of the waistband, and attached to the waistband at opposite sides thereof to extend across the back of the wearer. The elastic strap is attached to the waistband by a clip fastener at each end. The clips are formed with spaced apart teeth extending from a cross-piece and adapted to be slid over a free edge of the garment material with a plurality of teeth disposed on one side of the material and at least one intermediate tooth disposed on the other side thereof.
Kaselow, U.S. Pat. No. 2,849,773, discloses a waistband tightening device comprising an elongated, relatively flat main body member, respective first flat prongs rigidly secured to the ends of the main body and extending perpendicular thereto, and a plurality of relatively flat, longitudinally spaced second prongs rigidly secured to the main body member parallel to and spaced inwardly from the first prongs having enlarged rounded ends that are adapted to be interengaged with the waistband of a garment to shorten the waistband.
Hubner, U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,056 discloses an apparatus for adjusting the width of a waistband, which includes a U-shaped clip that slides onto the waistband perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the waistband. The U-shaped clip has two limbs which are interconnected on the top sides thereof and which run substantially parallel to each other. The waistband is arranged in a fold formed by the waist band passing by the clip, substantially parallel thereto, first to one limb of the clip. The waistband loops around the first limb before running back in an opposite direction, between the two limbs of the clip, to the second limb. The waistband further loops around the second limb before finally being guided back in the opposite direction. The clip has vertically extending parallel arms at each side that fit on a respective outer flank of the folded waistband on a side facing away from the U-shaped clip, to prevent the clip from rotating and the waistband from unfolding.